Climate Change, Net Zero and COP26 “My Government will invest in
new green industries to create jobs, while protecting the
environment. The United Kingdom is committed to achieving net zero
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will continue to lead the way
internationally by hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.”...Request free trial
Climate Change, Net Zero and COP26
“My Government will invest in new
green industries to create jobs, while protecting the
environment. The United Kingdom is committed to
achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
and will continue to lead the way internationally by
hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.”
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● We are already leading the
way globally in acting on climate change - as the
first major economy in the world to set net zero
in law, we reduced our emissions
by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2019, while
growing our economy by 78 per cent. This is the
fastest rate in the G7.
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● We have laid legislation to
set Carbon Budget 6 at the level recommended by
the Climate Change Committee, which would reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 78 per cent by 2035
compared to future estimates of 1990 emissions
levels – the most ambitious in the world.
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● The Prime Minister has laid
out a Ten Point Plan for a green industrial
revolution over the next decade. The Plan will
mobilise £12 billion of Government investment and
could unlock three times as much private sector
investment by 2030 to create thousands of
highly-skilled green jobs, build back a greener
economy and level up opportunity across the
country.
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● We are delivering on our
Plan. We have announced new offshore wind ports
supporting up to 60,000 jobs, supported over
100,000 businesses and public bodies to
transition to low carbon heating, and we are
helping tens of thousands of households to
upgrade the energy efficiency of their
homes.
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● We have already published
our Energy White Paper which sets out the
transformation of the UK's energy system.
Policies included will create new industries and
investment in green innovation and will support
up to 220,000 jobs by 2030.
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● Our Industrial
Decarbonisation Strategy sets out an ambitious
blueprint to deliver the world’s first low-carbon
industrial sector and over £1 billion to cut
emissions, as well as supporting up to 80,000
jobs over the next three decades.
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● Our forthcoming sector
strategies, including Heat and Buildings, the
Transport Decarbonisation Plan, and the
comprehensive Net Zero Strategy will set out the
Government’s vision for transitioning to a net
zero economy by 2050.
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● The UK will host the vital
COP26 climate negotiations in November this year
to catalyse ambitious global action to cut
emissions to net zero further, to help
“My Government will invest in new green
industries to create jobs, while protecting the
environment. The United Kingdom is committed to
achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
and will continue to lead the way internationally
by hosting the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.”
communities adapt and increase resilience and
harness growing momentum to successfully deliver the
goals of the Paris Agreement.
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● We will work with
international partners to push a significant
reduction in global carbon emissions with new or
updated 2030 targets, otherwise known as
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ahead
of COP26, and commitments from countries,
regions, businesses that set a course for net
zero.
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● The UK has announced a new
NDC, which commits to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030 on 1990
levels, the highest level of emissions reductions
by 2030 of any major economy to date, compared to
1990 levels.
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● The UK is among the largest
contributors of climate finance. The Prime
Minister announced that the UK will double our
International Climate Finance to at least £11.6
billion from 2021 to 2025 to drive clean and
resilient growth in developing countries.
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● From 31 March 2021 the UK
Government will no longer provide any new direct
financial or promotional support for the fossil
fuel energy sector overseas, other than in
limited circumstances. This includes UK Export
Finance support, international aid funding, and
trade promotion for new crude oil, natural gas
and thermal coal projects. We are leading the way
in R&D and innovation, including through the
£1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, and the
£1 billion Ayrton Fund.
Key facts
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● In 2019, the UK became the
first major economy in the world to make a
legally binding commitment to end its
contribution to global warming by 2050 by
reaching net zero emissions.
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● We met our first and second
carbon budgets that were established under the
Climate Change Act 2008, and we are on track to
overachieve on the third. We are taking decisive
action to go further faster to deliver Carbon
Budgets 4 and 5 (2023-27; 2028-32).
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● Over 460,000 people are
already working in low carbon businesses and
their supply chains across the country, with
turnover estimated at £46.7 billion in
2018.
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● We are making progress. So
far: o
Low carbon electricity now gives us over 50 per
cent of our total.
the world’s largest offshore wind capacity (a
third of the global total).
Coal’s share of generation has fallen from 40
per cent in 2012 to under 3
per cent in 2019 and will be zero by
2024.
Emissions from business and industry have
halved since 1990.
We have halved our emissions from the natural
resources sector since
1990 and emissions from public buildings are
down 42 per cent since
o o
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● In 2020, 13,460 hectares of
trees were planted towards our 2025 UK yearly
target of 30,000 hectares per year.
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● We are ending the sale of
new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030
putting the UK on course to be the fastest G7
country to decarbonise cars and vans, and from
2035, all new cars and vans must be zero
emissions at the tailpipe. Currently, sales of
battery electric vehicles are at seven per cent
of all car sales.
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● We have reduced emissions by
more than two-thirds in the power sector.
Renewable electricity generation has more than
quadrupled since 2010 and low carbon electricity
now gives us over 50 per cent of our
total.
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● We are taking action in
every sector of the economy, investing in green
industries to spur more private investment,
including:
o Committing £240 million for low
carbon hydrogen production out to 2024-
25.
o o o
o
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● Our Nationally Determined
Contribution will reduce emissions by at least 68
per cent by 2030 on 1990 levels.
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● Since 2011, our
International Climate Finance has helped:
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○ 57 million people cope
with the effects of climate change.
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○ 26 million people with
improved access to clean energy.
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○ Reduce or avoid 16
million tonnes of greenhouse gas
emissions.
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